M3?

[Lovechunks]

Okay, I was getting lots of replies and obviously I need to drive a good M3?

Edited September 10, 2006 by Lovechunks

[RedEmblem]

It has 200k kms on it. Its from 1996. How could you expect it to be so good? Test drive a 2005 model.

[Link]

Test drive a few - sounds like u just looked at a lemon mate

Ive been in a 2003 m3 and they go damn well

[gtr fan]

Yeah the car you drove sounds like a very worn car, test drive a 200,000k gtr and see what you think.

A freind of mine has a 2003 M3 and it had 186 KW at the rear wheels. I love driving it, amazing car but comes at a very expensive price.

[Ronin 09]

different league.

my mate has an E46 M3 and it is simply awesome around the track - best fun ever.

I don't know that i'd trade the GTR for it, but they are a different car

[dangerous_daveo]

10yo car. With a factory 320hp at the fly, 10 years ago... With 10 years of suspension wear etc. But dude, M3 as your dream car? Aim higher. Dream car should be something that cant be achived unless you get insanly lucky.

[sky^rkt]

you drove a lemon there champ. bmws have a great spread of pwoer. drive a fresh one and it will feel alot better. even the e30 325is is great!

[IFRYCE]

BMW's are renowned for being slow in a straight line. The E36 M3's were way overrated. The stuff coming from europe now days blows jap stuff away. I have been in an E46 M3 and i cn sya they don't feel fast. But it bloody was. They don't give u the turbo push, but stock they still run a 13 sec Q/M. I have never been in a car that brakes so violently. The car stopped from 140 in a matter of metres! That's wat i was gop smacked with! Audi, Merc and BM are really letting loose in regards to sports saloons now. Merc 6.3 v8, BM' V10 and audi's V10 saloons are all jsut crazy!

[eMsta]

maybe you shoudl go for hte new m5 (V10) or the upcoming M3 (rumored to be a v8)

nah, in all seriousness - the 200,000klm car that you drove probably wasnt serviced well. Drive a few more if you are stil linterested. Keep in mind tho the 1996 models had only 210 kws. The next model had 250kws odd....

Go to a BMW dealership and check the cars there - get a feel for it - even though they are more expensive, chances are those cars are in better condition....

[Warpspeed]

Turbo cars are funny things, you floor them, and you get that runaway rush of acceleration as the boost builds up that feels really fast.

Very highly tuned n/a cars can feel fast too. The cams come on song and the exhaust really howls, and it feels and sounds glorious to thrash up through the gears.

But seriously supercharged, and big capacity n/a engines with silent exhausts and an almost flat torque curve, don't feel like that at all. They are not so exciting to drive. They can actually FEEL slow, but the measured over the road performance might tell you otherwise.

Handling can be really deceptive too. Some home built hot rod with rock hard suspension that you can power oversteer around every corner, sure may be fun, and you feel like a Formula one driver going around traffic islands sideways at 30Kmh.

Wheras something properly designed to be well balanced, and have much higher roadholding capacity may be truly fast but not be anywhere near as exciting to drive.

If you want to know for sure, a chassis dyno, drag strip, or race track is the only way to find out. Seat of the pants impression is not always a reliable guide.

[predator]

The older ones are overrated.. and a brand new one you probably can't afford.

M3 is only the base model too, they keep the real fun for the M5.

Keep your GTS, and buy a non m-type BMW

[R34GT-t_07]

1996 M3 are not fast and they are especialy not faster then R34 GTT 2003 and on wards thats a diff story, i ve heard a lot of stories about stock 03 sti and R34 wit only Exausts beeating 03 M3. they r an awsom car but a bit slightly overated.

[Modena]

Has anyone out there driven a Bmw M3?

M3's have been one of my dream cars for some time. They are suposed to be absolutly awsome. It won best handling car in the World in 1997!!

I was looking at swapping my 1998 R34 Gtst plus some cash for a 1996 M3, the one with 320hp and a six speed gearbox, so to say I was excited was an understatement!

Okay it had 200,000 k's on it but it still should have been good. I've drivin Gtr's with more that still felt fresh.

The friking thing was slower than my gts (the owner insisted it wasn't), the gearbox was sloppy, the suspension was soft and the whole car was sloppy. The nob said it gets serviced every 20,000k's (yes I think he meant the oil to!).

Ok, so it was well worn but it should have shown me a little something. My Gtt felt better in every way and I drove an R33 Gtr the day before I can't even imagine a perfect M3 coming anywhere near the Gtr!

So I was pretty pissed

So I'm buying a Gtr because they a fricking glorious.

Maybe you should never drive your dream car.

Anyway have any of you guys driven an M3? Should I look for a different one to test drive or are they all GAY?

Very sorry to offend BMW owners but crap I think every car manufacturer should go out and buy a secondhand Gtr, take it apart and learn how to build a sports car (except Toyota Japan, Supra is awsome to!).

Am I wrong about M3'?

Why dont you go test an M3 from the 80s with 500000 Kms on the clock and cry a river cos its slow?

[scandyflick]

ive driven a well maintained E30 M3, and it was fair slow compared to, well, most cars on the road, but it was a beautiful car to drive, handling was pretty sharp, and it loved the twisties.

been a passenger in an 03 model aswell, and that didnt feel particularly fast either? maybe it was just the way he was driving, but its a nice car.

[Ronin 09]

Why dont you go test an M3 from the 80s with 500000 Kms on the clock and cry a river cos its slow?

no one should doubt the pedigree of an E30 M3 - sure it was spanked by the GTR in a straight line in group A in the 90's but round corners is where it made some serious time.

One of the sweetest little 4cyl motors from the era and that car will definitely be on my list of 'must owns' in the next few years...

Thing is all Skyline owners are just obsessed with straight line this, power that.

Power isn't everything.

[eMsta]

Most of us will be whooped if the next M3 makes its way to the track......

Thing is - every car gets better and better through its updates and all that - so it will be interesting to see the new M3 go up against the new GTR.

having said that though - is there any reviews on the 335 twin turbo? I wanna see how they compare that to other twin turbos

[666DAN]

I always fancied an M3 but speaking to many owners of them, they have all said that anything pre 2006 has been fragile and in there opinion the engine overstressed. They quite often mentioned the words broken, break, weak and expensive..basically has put me right off. Apparently my R34 is faster than one anyway and cost me a fraction of the price.

[Leewah]

I have driven E30, E36 and E46 M3s. Yes I'm a luck b@stard but it's not my fault my friend is obsessed with M cars.

The E30 was a true race car. The ride is tough, the car is noisy and it oversteers when pushed hard. No help of ABS, TC or other driving aids. Lots of fun but can also get you into trouble quite easily.

The E36 was a bit overrated in my opinion. A great manual box but the SMG was a complete POS. Slow chunky jerky shifts made it intollerable. Nicely balanced but seemed to lack a bit when pushed. It simply wasn't as much fun as the E30.

E46, the bees knees. Hard to find another car which performs so well in every way, shape and form. The car is gorgeous and practical. The flared guards demand attention (even though the badges have been removed), the quad pipes shout at you at full song when the foot is flat to the floor. The SMG2 gearbox is infallable. Quick, rapid shifts and perfect launches guarenteed every time. The car is supurbly balanced and corners without any real problems. There are so many driver aids in the car, it is almost impossible to get yourself into trouble. Without the TC, it can be fun and the car will allow you to throw the back out a bit but there is still some electronic aid in there to stop you from killing yourself. Switch them all off and you had better be a good driver otherwise it'll bite you.

M3s are different cars to Skylines. They are so much better refined. The interiors sh|te all over Skylines, the engine off the showroom floor can be argued as the best inline 6 N/A engine in the World.

The GTR is only a better car because it can be modified cheaply (relatively) and you can get a lot more power and performance handling.

I love them and would take a 2nd hand E46 M3 any day over a 2nd hand R34 GTR. Pricing is similar for them. Both a high standard E46 M3 and R34 GTR is about $70k-80k.

[SS8_Gohan]

256kw's from 3.2ltr, straight 6... that is high-strung... but damn, what an engine. S60 i think is the engine name.

But as other people have said, it's not all about power. And BMW haven't not been massive power players till recently. They're very driver focused, so braking/handling are just as important as the ponies. The E30 was a 4 cylinder! Only the last 2 M3's have been 6 cylinders, and the new M3 isn't rumoured to be V8, they WILL be V8. Released 2008 and orders have already been placed for them, some people just can't help having the newest thing. It will be awesome, no doubts. It will have to be as the 335i will be pretty much as quick as the current E46 M3, bout 5.6 0 - 100, 220'ish kw's.

They'll be here in October i believe, they're gone already, another lot coming March 2007, my old man is getting it then (you'll have to check it out one day Marcus )

I've got an R34 GT-T, so i'll let you know how it stacks up against the '07 335i when it arrives.

I think it's a little unfair to write off a car based on a 200,000km example serviced only every 20K km's, which is quite infrequent for a performance car.

[gtr fan]

So what if an e36 isn't as fast a GTR. It is a classic car. I still see really nice examples sometimes and have to take a 3rd 4th and 5th look.